The Gift
by Aminatsu032
Summary: “I have a gift for you, too,” he told her. “Close your eyes.” AU. Christmas Oneshot. MxN


Christmas fic. Merry Christmas! :)

**The Gift  
**_Aminatsu032_

A certain brunette walked briskly towards the bus stop at Central Town. It was almost closing time and if she doesn't move fast, she'd have no choice, but to walk her way to the dorms in the dark.

Mikan shuddered. She hated the dark – and the cold weather.

Mikan walked faster when she caught the sight of the last bus. She was too tired to run, since she'd just spent the day for Christmas shopping. She didn't think her part-time-job would take this long to pay, and to think it was only a day before Christmas.

_Well, at least I bought my gifts just in time_, she thought.

When Mikan got in the bus, she sat on the nearest vacant seat and propped her hands in her pocket. It felt warmer in the bus, and that felt good for her.

Mikan stared at the plastic bags she lay carefully on the floor for a moment and sighed. She'd still have to wrap these things up.

**.xx.**

It was early in the morning when Mikan got up. It was probably all the cold getting to her. Mikan glanced up the clock. It was a quarter past seven. She figured she'd just help out with the decorating for the Christmas Ball later that day.

Mikan smiled to herself. Hotaru was already at the hall, for sure. After all, the Technical Abilities class was the main sponsor for this year's most awaited event.

Mikan quickly stood up at the thought and dressed as quickly as she could. She took a paper bag from her drawer and shoved in Hotaru, Anna and Nonoko's gifts.

_I hope they'll like it,_ she thought.

**.xx.**

Mikan's face lit up when she saw her best friend with a machine decorating near the huge Christmas Tree.

"Morning Hotaru!" she greeted cheerfully.

Hotaru raised one jet-black eyebrow at the brunette. "You're unusually early today," she noted.

Mikan shrugged. She took Hotaru's gift from her paper bag and handed it over to her. "Merry Christmas!"

Hotaru stared at it for a while and placed the ornament she was holding back to the pile to take Mikan's gift. "Thank you," Hotaru said flatly.

Mikan smiled as she looked around the hall, looking for Anna and Hotaru when she noticed the most unexpected person to see during these kinds of events.

Mikan grinned and walked towards the scene.

One of the seniors from the Technical Ability class was beside him pointing to one of the torches at the corner of the hall.

"Natsume, could you light that one please? None of us are able to reach it," she pleaded.

Natsume gave no reaction, but lighted the torch anyway and when he heard Mikan's voice, he knew he shouldn't have come here in the first place.

"Good morning!" Mikan said.

Natsume simply ignored her and walked away. It was early in the morning and her voice was as loud as it can be. One word: annoying.

Mikan seemed oblivious to Natsume's usual reaction. She kept up with his pace with both her hands on her back.

"Never in my five years in this academy have I seen _you _helping out in these events," she commented.

Natsume tch-ed and ignored the brunette. Mikan still followed.

"I mean what's up with that? You've decided you were going to be good for good?" she continued.

Natsume rolled his eyes at her. "Woke up early and had nothing else to do," he replied unemotionally. Natsume looked at her at the corner of his eye. "It's unusual seeing you up this early on holidays, either, Polka."

Mikan shrugged again. "Same reason as yours."

Both fell silent and it went on like that for a while, until Mikan spoke again.

"I have a gift for you, but I didn't expect you'd be here so I didn't bring it along," she said. "I'll hand it over to you later, then, ne?"

Natsume replied without looking at her. "Whatever," he said and walked away.

This time, Mikan didn't follow. She still had gifts to give for Nonoko and Anna and she had to go back to her room to wrap the rest. She also have not tried on the middle-school attire for the ball.

Mikan looked into the sky and sighed. She had a feeling this would be a long day.

**.xx.**

Mikan stared at herself in the mirror when she heard a knock at her door. Mikan answered and saw Hotaru, eyebrows up, looking at her.

"That's it?" she asked.

Confused, Mikan tilted her head and looked at her friend. Hotaru had slight make up on and had a pair of lavender hair pin in her hair.

"What's it?" Mikan asked.

Hotaru rolled her violet eyes and walked inside, shutting the door silently behind her.

"Sit down, Mikan," she ordered, Mikan nodded. "You look too plain," she commented.

Hotaru took Mikan's hair brush from her dresser and pulled the ribbons from her pigtails.

"Seriously, though," Hotaru added silently. "Don't you ever get tired of this same hairstyle everyday?"

Mikan frowned at her best friend's reflection in the mirror. "Does it look bad?" she asked.

Hotaru sighed. "Bad, no," she said, brushing Mikan's wavy hair. "Predictable, yes."

Hotaru brushed Mikan's hair into a half-pony and held it together with a flower hair pin she took from her pocket. It was a red flower, matching the color of the middle-school dress.

Hotaru took another object from her pocket. It was a compact she invented. Hotaru placed the round object on Mikan's dresser and pressed the white button in the middle, allowing it to transform into a series of boxes and drawers designed for make-over.

Mikan's eyes widened slightly. She never really liked make-overs, but she gave in. Hotaru was someone she trusted, anyway.

**.xx.**

When Mikan entered the hall, the party had already started. Everyone looked beautiful dancing gracefully. Today, Nonoko had her hair in curls, Anna tied her hair up in a ponytail and Permy had hair extension on, and you wouldn't notice her hair was short.

Slowly, Mikan observed her surroundings and looked around. She frowned when she realized that the person she was looking for wasn't there.

Mikan looked at the direction of the Sakura Tree. It was inevitable that he was there.

_Of course_, Mikan thought. _It was what he always did._

**.xx.**

Mikan stood parallel to the huge Christmas tree, deep in thought.

By now, she was the only one left in the hall. Most of the torches were already off and it was partly dark inside. It was kind of stupid that she thought Natsume, of all people, would come back in here after, what, two hours after the party? That was very unlikely. _Very_.

Suddenly, all the torches lighted one after another. Mikan followed them. First from the right, middle and then all the way to the left. It was then when she noticed. She noticed _him_.

At one of the sides of the huge entrance was Natsume, leaning against it. He was looking at her.

"It's five o'clock in the morning, what the heck are you still doing here?" he asked her, one of his eyebrows propped up.

Mikan looked away. What was she supposed to answer? That she waited for him the whole time?

Natsume surveyed the place quickly and then smirked.

Slowly, he walked towards her, one hand in his pocket.

Mikan saw her chance. She quickly took the last gift on her paper bag and handed it over to him.

Natsume stared at it for a while and took it, not saying anything.

Both stayed like that, until Natsume finally spoke.

"I have a gift for you, too," he told her.

Mikan raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms to her chest. "Really, now?" It was hardly believable – what he said. Of all the five Christmases she spent giving gifts to him, but not receiving gifts back, it seemed all impossible that Natsume had a gift for her _now_.

"Close your eyes," Natsume said. Mikan, though hesitant, followed.

Suddenly, she felt his warm hand on her left cheek and her eyes widened when she realized what Natsume just did. His lips were lightly pressed against hers. The kiss only lasted for about three seconds, though.

Natsume leaned back and smirked for the second time that morning. He raised his right index finger and pointed up.

Slowly, Mikan raised her head, shock at what she saw.

_It was a mistletoe_.

Mikan's eyes widened and for a while she didn't move, shocked at what just happened. Of course, it wasn't the first time Natsume kissed her – he already had stolen her first kiss on her first year at the Gakuen Alice.

Natsume turned around and walked away, leaving Mikan standing at the center of the hall, dazed.

She suddenly noticed that her paper bag became heavy. Quickly, she opened it and saw a rectangular package, wrapped in metallic yellow gift wrapper and a red ribbon tied to it.

Mikan took it and pulled the ribbon off. Carefully, she tore the wrapper and opened the white box inside.

It was a gold necklace with a stone-studded pendant in an elegant shape of an "M".

Mikan removed the necklace from the foam inside the box and examined the pendant. She was surprised to find out that when she turned it there was another letter, carved subtly on one corner. It was "N".

Mikan couldn't help but smile.

_Who thought Natsume had it in him?_

**FIN.**


End file.
